Morning journal and courier., 1887-12-23

in the city as recently as twelve years ago, aud was done away with at town meeting
 because it failed signally. Up to the year
 1875, according to his statement, work
 house, the present almshouse, was in use,
 and the result was many squsbbles. He was opposed to having criminals work while serv-
 ing their sentence and be paid for it, as had
 been suggested
 Judge Pickett said that three years ago he
 appeared before committee and advocated a
 workhouse. He hoped to see the day when those fellows who drink whisky and beer
 would be placed where they can live and
 drink pure Whitneyville water; and those men who pound their wives near East Rock where they will have to go out and pound stone. But it would
 seem that the people are not ready for this question. These fellows should be made to help pay part of the town tax.
 After the resolution was seconded Mayor York called for the yeas and nays. The ayes had it, and the resolution was declared carried.
 Judge Deming then read the following mo- tions and moved that all three be acted on together:
 '.Resolved That the selectmen be authorized to new workhouse
 l "Resolved That the estimates for the workhouse shall be submitted to special town meeting, to be called vii hin six months from d;te. house no able bodis person shall be allowed to be an inmate of the almshouse.' 5
 Prof. Simeon E. Baldwin moved that no one be allowed to speak over five minutes. This was probably done to cut off Judge Par dee, who had taken up lots of time in oppos- ing the first resolution. MT. Baldwin s motion was carried.
 Judge Pardee offered an amendment to the first resolution to the effect that not until a workhouse was erected should the seIectmen be authorized to appoint master of 1t. Tr11r nipfy c1i1 ho6 n objection to the amendment, as he didn't think it was very likely that the selectmen would hire keeper until the workhouse was built and place was open for him. Mayor York put the three original motions and they were carried.
 The town workhouse question being off their
 hands the question of providing for the out-
 door poor was brought up. Judge Deming
 moved that the following motion be adopted:
 Resolved, That the town meeting approve of
 tee upon the subject of poor relief; and that the
 selectmen be instructed to carry out the law of aImshonse and to give if unless in excenfionaI
 cases, in the form of supplies"
 Town Agent Reynolds arose and wanted to
 ask the committee that offered the foregoing
 resolution if they had presented it as a mat
 ter of economy. If they wanted it adopted for economical means, then he would like to
 hear the committee explain.
 Judge Deming, in answer, said that as far
 as the public was concerned the committee
 believed the present mode of providing for
 the outdoor relief from the town agents
 office could be abolished and that there
 would not be case of suffering. The com-
 mittee believed the town would be saved
 large amount of money and thought it 8
 question of economy to carry out the resolu-
 ton as offered. The committee thought the
 charities of the town were so well organized
 that if the town cut off all outdoor relief the
 Christian societies would take up the matter
 and provide for the deserving poor without
 expense to the town. We have given the
 town agent a chance to reduce the town ex-
 penses in this matter, but he has been unsuc- cessful.
 John J. Clerkin, clerk of the board of se- lectmen, next spoke. He had seen by the report of the committee that in 1876 seven teen hundred persons had been relieved. The correct number was ,375. Last year the town assisted 1, ,734, and yet the outside poor fund was reduced nearly $1 900. The com mittee haven't given us any reasons yet why they think the abolishing of the present sys- tenn and the adoption of the system of dis tributing supplies through the almshouse would be more economical. I believe the adoption of the foregoing resolution will in- crease the outside poor account to, in round numbers, $45, ,000. Furthermore, would state that there is not one case on our books but what if cut off would cause intense suf- fering.
 The question why MT. Reynolds and MT. Feldman's testimony wss not added to the report of the committee was brought up by MT. Clerkin. After few words on the sub ject MT. Reynolds spoke again on the reso- Iution:
 "There is about to be a radical change have asked the committee why it would be economical to abolish the present system. My friend Deming has replied, but he has not answered my question. Your committee say they want to abolish the cash system in the town agents office and furnish groceries to them through the almshouse. In order to do this it would first be necessary to establish a grocery at the alms- house and stock it with all the necessaries of life. If the com mittee can find where it can make sav- ing am heartily with them. These poor | people know the true value of dollar. They | know where to go and get the most for it and | they can make it go a good ways. They | should be allowed to get the most they can l for it. believe that under the change it | would add expense to the town. There is | only one way for the committee to have the | present system abolished. They must have | a wagon, marked 'poorhouse,' going about | the streets delivering supplies from the aims house to the needy. The degradation and | shame entailing this method of having such wagon stopping at persons door would be 90 great that the poor widows would say that hey would die first rather than be helped hereby. Charity is virtue,I and it should pc done as virtue and not be paraded pub icly and ostentatiously."
 MT. Wagner spoke strongly against the passage of the resolution. "It means, !" he Iaid. s'that all who want aims must go to the almshouse. I would ask, in the name of hu- nanity, ara you going to make the poor widows go to the almshouse? If they get there 'nce they will never get back. It's shame o have this done by committee that doesn't lnow anything about the matter. They | want poor widow from East street walk to he almshouse and carry back that distance lalf a bushel of potatoes likely"
 Prof. Baldwin said that the committee had ooked into the matter and had recommend d 1t only because it is practical in New York, Brooklyn and all the large cities. It las worked well. It is not theoretical ystem, as has been stated, but it is practi- al.
 Selectman Beecher-'cI would like to ask [ the plan to abolish the present system of l providing for the outdoor relief is scheme on he part of some who want to get around | aying their taxes!
 After John J. Clerkin, Professor Farnham 1 nd Sylvanus Butler had spoken, a motion 7as made to table the resolution. A stands az vote was taken and the resolution was abled, 73 to Fl. Judge Deming then offered the next reso- ltion. He said the committee had done the est it could and had only made the recon lendations as citizens anxious for the inter ,ts of the city. He feared this resolution ould share the same fate as the others: Resolved, That the selectmen be instructed be- 1 re granting any outdoor relief to ascertain z neither the applicant is cared for can be cared r by any person, private charitable institution urch or society, and to refer him to sch' unless shall refuse to provide for him. " \ Charles Kleiner-I wish to ask if by that 6 solution you mean to censure the select en? Judge Deming replied that they might dis t